Thread No. 007← All threads
The starch water trick
The cloudy water is the secret ingredient.
Pasta water, rice water, the sticky liquid pulled from a risotto. Starch suspended in water is what binds fat to fat and turns a coating into a sauce. Throwing it away is a beginner's mistake. Reserving it is the gesture that separates the home cook who has read three good books from the one who hasn't.
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In Carbonara →1 voice
“The emulsion happens in the pan, but the heat is off. The pasta must be shaken to release starch into the egg-cheese mixture.”
The Real Carbonara — BBC Food (2015)
In Risotto →1 voice
“If the risotto does not move in a wave when you shake the pan, you have made a pilaf, not a risotto.”
La Cucina Italiana di Gualtiero Marchesi — Mondadori (2014)